Off Balance
by Macx
Summary: movie fic. How can something so wrong be good for you? Kind of an Imperfection AU spin-off.
1. Wrong

Yep! Macx even does drabbles... really! While watching the World Cup game England - USA. I think something happened to my brain. Bah!

Take this any way you want. It's been on my brain for a while now and it wanted to be drabbled... ehm... written... You like it - okay. You don't - keep the flames to yourself, right?

TITLE: Wrong  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved

It was wrong.

Wrong and wrong and yes, oh-so wrong. His very spark shivered at the wrongness, but it also delighted in the connection. Like a blind drone he was pulled to the only light he could perceive. He was clawing for the presence close to him. He needed it as much as he despised it. He wanted it and still felt the shame.

Part of him had been cut away and he was left out in a void that no one could get even close to understanding.

No one but a mech who had been in the same situation, even if it had been less than voluntary.

Sideswipe knew he would never find happiness in any other connection than his missing brother. Sunstreaker was truly part of his spark; they had been created as twins. A twin bond was different from any spark bond out there. He severely doubted he could ever create a spark bond, rare as it was in the first place. Even if everyone would find a bonded, he would never be able to accept anything but a twin bond.

But Sunstreaker was missing, presumed dead.

As dead as he felt sometimes.

But he had formed a connection. Desperate and aching, he had allowed himself to connect, not bond, to a mech who had been part of a combiner mind. A mech who was aware of what echoes meant, what it was like to share a place that wasn't a spark. Combiner minds weren't spark bonded, just together, so very much aware of each other, in tune, synchronized… Still, not a twin bond.

Sideswipe knew there was no replacing his twin. But he could ease the pain and suffering, be free of the aching darkness for a moment. Each time he allowed the connection, part of him whimpered in relief and washed over the other mech's mind as if there was no tomorrow.

Maybe there wasn't.

Maybe one day the other would be tired of this need and the clingy Autobot who was so embarrassed and ashamed, he wouldn't acknowledge him any more than as the ally he was.

But Scavenger had never asked for more than Sideswipe could give.

And Sideswipe took all the Constructicon gave.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

*sits back and awaits the screams*

The fic will have a companion piece soon. Working on that. Like I said, watching soccer is bad for my brain...


	2. Awkward

TITLE: Awkward  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved

Sequel ficlet to Wrong

The moment they had been restored to their old selves, nothing had been as it had been; and it would never be. Scavenger had known that his old life had ended when Shockwave had forcefully joined their minds, turning the Constructicons into mindless drones and blabbering idiots. All their genius had withered away, replaced by unquestioning loyalty to a crazed lunatic, and the ability to destroy instead of create.

Ratchet had worked long and hard to separate them. Together with Sam Witwicky he had done the impossible. Bonecrusher had been forever lost to them, a casualty of war, but the surviving five had finally been able to think on their own. The connection that had made them a combiner, that had torn them apart whenever they had been forced to become Devastator, had been severed.  
Something had remained, though. Scavenger had known it right away, able to pick up faint echoes of his former combiner mates. Now they were colleagues and friends once more, but the shadow of the old connection was there. As was the dark hole of Bonecrusher's absence. It no longer hurt, but he could see it.

Scavenger had never been one to seek out comfort in another spark. He would have continued to function as he was now. He felt no loss at all, only what he had gained. He was free again, and the little shadows were a small price to pay. The echoes helped.

Until the moment a totally different fate combined with his own.

Scavenger didn't know why he had allowed it the first time, but it had been fast and furious and strangely satisfying.

He started to enjoy the brief moments, hidden and secret and like a dark, dirty secret between him and the silver Autobot.

The moments became more. They became stretched out encounters, filled with a slower beginning and a longer middle, followed by a softer end. Scavenger explored the other spark, felt its own pain and darkness, a different kind than his own. Where he had accepted the loss and had lived without the connection to the other Constructicons before, Sideswipe was a twin who couldn't believe in his brother's death and was very much filled with hope. A still feverish but weakening and flimsy hope.

"I won't accept his death until I see his lifeless shell," the Autobot had once remarked before leaving,

The words had come after Scavenger had told him to get on with his life and accept that Sunstreaker was probably gone. Should he have survived, chances that he would find his way to Earth were slim to none.

Sideswipe had glared at him as if Scavenger had suggested his twin was willingly bonded to Megatron.

The Constructicon shook his head and walked into his lab. He found Long Haul already there, shooting him a brief look. Whether his fellow Constructicons knew about this relationship or not, they had never lost a word about it. And even if they knew, they were all their own persons. They could do whatever they wanted and with whoever.

And Scavenger enjoyed it. As did Sideswipe, even if the Autobot would never confess to it. At least he no longer fled from the room and treated the encounter like it was the worst ever done to him.

It wasn't a bond and never could be. It was sharing on a mutual level, sharing that was pleasure. It aided in chasing away the tiny kernel of darkness inside himself and the much larger hole in Sideswipe – at least for the moment.

He smiled a little and switched on his computer.

Sideswipe always left, without really running, but he came back.

And each encounter healed them both.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Well, there you have it. Weirdness, part II ;)

...third installment currently in the works


	3. Malum In Se : Wrong In Itself

  
re on reviews concerning the prior two chapters: I never wanted there to be dialogue to fill the two short scenes. It was a glimpse into Scavenger's and Sidewipe's thoughts. Nothing more. Think of it as snapshots. Dat's it.

Now on to part three:

TITLE: Malum In Se – Wrong In Itself  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
For **odd_stick**, who wanted the 'first time'

When the _Spook_ came back from a recent patrol to dock at the _Ark_, Sideswipe felt tired and drained. He had been part of the crew aboard the Autobot ship, together with Prowl and Jolt. The _Spook_ was old and she wasn't a good long-distance flyer, but it had been enough to explore the debris of the space bridge at the edge of the Kuiper Belt.

Walking along the brightly lit corridor that led to the quarters that had been recently expanded, Sideswipe let his mind blank. He had been on a lot of _Spook_ missions lately, especially since Blaster had picked up a distant signal coming toward the Solar system, but it had been just an echo. A cold, lonely echo. His hopes for Sunstreaker's survival still ran high and each contact, each blip, could bring him closer.

Sinking onto the recharge bed, Sideswipe stared at the wall opposite. The _Spook_ wouldn't go onto another mission for a week. Right now she would be checked and serviced aboard the _Ark_.

Finally Sideswipe lay back and let his systems power down.

x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x

The week aboard the _Ark_ was routine. Mostly. Prowl and Scrapper were in conference calls with Prime and Jolt was happily going over modifications of the _Spook_ with Long Haul, who was a very hands-on engineer. It gave Sideswipe a lot of time alone and he spent it going over back-log and prowling around the _Ark_.

He ran into one of the Constructicons near the _Spook_'s bay. Scavenger was working at a machine that had been plugged into the underbelly of the ship. When Sideswipe approached, red optics looked up.

"Anything I can help you with?" Scavenger asked neutrally.

"No."

Sideswipe leaned against the hull of the _Spook_ and watched the other mech work. Scavenger finally sighed.

"What do you want, Sideswipe?" he asked, pronouncing each word slowly and carefully.

"Nothing."

"If you're looking for something to do, ask Long Haul. He always needs a helping hand."

"Not interested."

Scavenger gave an electronic sigh. "Then why are you hanging around here?"

Sideswipe was silent, looking at the Constructicon, indecisive. Finally he turned around abruptly and left.

x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x

Throughout the night cycle of the station, Sideswipe watched space through the observation windows of the bridge. The silence was nice, but it also made him even more aware of how torn his spark was. It seemed to multiply the ache without presenting medical symptoms. It was a psychological matter, Ratchet had told him after a complete scan. Not physical. There was nothing he could do.

When he finally left, he dropped by the hangar and found Scavenger still at work. When he stepped inside, the Constructicon looked up, optics flaring slightly.

"Now what?" he asked, though not unkindly.

Sideswipe was silent, but before Scavenger could turn back he asked, "How do you handle the loss of one of your own?"

Scavenger froze, gazing at him with an intense expression.

"I know Ratchet separated you all, but not completely. You still have varying degrees of awareness of each other. One was lost. How do you deal?"

"Not one to beat around the bush, hm?"

Sideswipe shifted uneasily, but he didn't budge.

"We deal, Sideswipe. We accept the loss and continue our lives. The darkness can only dominate you if you let it."

"But you feel it."

"We all do to degrees."

Silence fell again and finally Sideswipe left again.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Only to return the next cycle. To talk. To ask. To listen. To learn.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

And he found himself drifting closer to Scavenger in some way, wanting to know how this one dealt with it all.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

When Scavenger first offered to share, it came like a blow to his spark. He refused and left in a hurry, but the next hours in his quarters were like torture. He wanted to feel something again, someone, another presence. Sunstreaker hadn't been a partner, he was his twin. They didn't share. They didn't need to. They were one spark in two shells. What Scavenger offered was like a sedative, an analgesic for the pain.

He took him up on that offer for the first time three days after the _Spook_ had docked at the _Ark_.

When Sideswipe pulled out of the interface and looked into the softly glowing, red optics, read the relaxed stance, he fled.

It had felt… good. Wrong and good in one. He had touched another spark, for the very first time, and it had been good.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

He came back for more before the _Spook_ left for another patrol. He came back several times.  
Scavenger let him.

And it always felt good, balm on his split spark.

It felt like a betrayal without ever being able to be one. He couldn't betray Sunstreaker because Sunstreaker was his twin. They were one spark with two different personalities. Scavenger was completely different. He was whole. He had been harmed by the Modulator and he had suffered, but he wasn't torn in half. He was as okay as he ever could be.

Okay.

Sideswipe still felt the rush of energy, like a blanket that momentarily held him, caressed him, and he knew this was what sharing was about. Reassurance. Release.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

When the _Spook_ left eight days after their last mission, Sideswipe felt better than in the months he had been on this alien world called Earth. Like something had given him his balance back.

He looked at the rear view monitor, watched the _Ark_ station grow smaller and smaller. They would be back within the next three months, and part of him knew where he would find himself.

Like an addict.

Because he had found a way to fill the need.

fin for part three. Working on part four :) 


	4. Compensating

TITLE: Compensating  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved

The _Ark_ was a gigantic construction, far larger than the original ship had ever been. The Constructicons had added in mass and size and defense capacities, and with only a small core crew it was mostly dark and silent.

Sideswipe stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling transparent wall that showed him the Moon below. The area he was in was part of the semi-circular structure that curved around the station and which was completely deserted. Everyone currently aboard – Perceptor, Hook and Scavenger – was somewhere else. Blaster was expected to drop by tomorrow.

Gazing at the world outside, the alien world, he wondered what he was doing here. Perceptor didn't need him. He wasn't a scientist. The station didn't need a warrior, nor did it need someone to lend a helping hand. It was perfectly functional.

He had come here to escape the stifling confines of the base. Nevada was too crowded for Sideswipe; Arctic had Prowl breathing down his neck – to use a human saying; Australia was still under construction and Blades' attitude grated on Sideswipe's nerves. So he had taken the latest delivery ride with the _Ghost-3_ to the _Ark_.

Bowman and the _Ghost_ had left an hour ago.

Sideswipe had gone for a walk.

Instead of clearing his processor, more things had started to clutter it. He was thinking too much about what had happened lately and even more about what it meant.

Like Scavenger.

It was wrong! It was wrong to use and be used. Though Sideswipe believed he was doing a lot more using than being used. He wasn't abusing, he knew. Still…

He clenched his hands into fists and hissed a Cybertronian curse.

"You think too much, Autobot," a well-known voice told him.

He whirled around, almost releasing his swords. Sideswipe marginally relaxed when he realized who had interrupted his musings. Then again, he had almost felt the other coming.

"Why aren't you?" he retorted angrily.

Scavenger shrugged. "What we share is perfectly acceptable."

"It isn't! Twins don't bond!"

"I never said anything about a bond."

"We also never share with another mech!"

Scavenger gave an electronic sigh and leaned against the opposite wall. "Your brother isn't here and you need feedback, Sideswipe. Twin bonds are largely unknown and unexplored. I believe that the connection between you serves as positive echoes, like feedback, to ease your split sparks. Without the feedback, the separation of the spark into two halves is more pronounced."

Sideswipe glared.

Scavenger smiled faintly. "As for me, I was part of a combiner, forced to think and feel the same as five others. Bonecrusher's death left us all with a permanent darkness, even after the separation, and the separation itself crippled us. It was preferable to dying slowly, turning into drones."

"That justifies it all?"

"Do you need justification?"

Sideswipe hissed and turned away.

"You and Sunstreaker are twins. You can't betray that," Scavenger added. "You probably won't ever bond to anyone, and this isn't a bond, in case you feared it might happen. This is mutual comfort."

He met the red optics when he glanced at the Constructicon. "Comfort, huh?"

Scavenger shrugged. "It feels good."

Yes, it did. And it was wrong!

A tiny voice whispered that wrong was different. Wrong would be to find that he could bond with the other mech, but he couldn't. Twins never would. Split sparks couldn't.

"Sharing is with no strings attached, Sideswipe," Scavenger told him. "This is simply to ease the aches."

Casual. Nothing would ever come of it. Nothing profound was exchanged. Sharing was always casual, he knew. He had known many mechs who had shared and for whom it had been nothing out of the ordinary.

"Does it help?" Scavenger asked openly.

The silver Autobot nodded.

"Then it's good."

_Wrong_, the voice that grew weaker whispered insistently.

Sideswipe ignored it.

Scavenger silently watched him, then simply turned wordlessly and walked away.

x x x x x x x x

Just before Blaster arrived ten Earth hours later, Sideswipe found himself in Scavenger's quarters, the rush of an interface pushing through his circuits.

He relaxed into the outpouring of energy through his split spark, shivering as for a fraction of a second he was whole. Wrong, but whole. Scavenger couldn't be the missing half, because his spark was complete. But the Constructicon had been right: it helped, it eased, it lessened the pain. And if he could give Scavenger some peace from the crippling modifications and final separation of a forced combined mind, yes, it wasn't that much of a wrong. It was compensation.

And it felt good. 


	5. Can of Worms

TITLE: Can of Worms  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
'VERSE: movie  
PAIRING: Sideswipe/Scavenger  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: Things are getting more complicated, confusing... and unexpected...

The first time he stayed after the interface rush was over, Sideswipe found that his fingers were curled into Scavenger's torso armor, the grip hard enough to almost leave marks. His energon pump was whirring and his air intakes were whistling with the need to cool his systems.

For the first time he had no longer been passive.

He had been rather… well, no, he had been very active.

And the activity had let him grab into the taller mech and try to what? Tear off armor plating? That made no sense. First of all, he wouldn't have managed that; Scavenger was heavily shielded. He would also defend himself and most likely off-line Sideswipe for his efforts. And second, for whatever reason? The interface sockets provided were already open. He wouldn't be able to get closer or make it more intense.

Something warm spread through him, tingling, making him gasp in surprise. It was like a soft charge and he jerked back, optics flaring. For a brief moment he felt something a lot older than him, something very grounded and serene, and it was strong. So much stronger than him.

Scavenger watched him, his own optics very bright, and Sideswipe was confused as to how evened-out his spark felt. He shivered as he flexed his fingers and echoes of the very pleasurable connection continued to flow through him.

This was new.

This was… his systems getting used to the encounters. It had been so easy to log onto the Constructicon, so familiar.

Scavenger closed the interface sockets on his slightly clawed fingers, the layer of very dense armor over the sensor node sliding shut. He reached out, slowly and almost carefully, and brushed a hand over Sideswipe's still open mirror sockets.

The Autobot shivered again, but his shell followed the gentle nudge and closed the nodes.

Scavenger smiled. Not a smirk, just a smile. Then he stepped back and gave Sideswipe the distance he hadn't been aware of needing. His spark calmed down, still so much less than whole, but healthier than ever. Healing.

He looked away, unable to make himself move. For the first time he was aware of how rude he had been in the past, how he had used Scavenger and simply left. Every separation had been him abruptly pulling away and running. He had never stayed. For what?

"Thanks," he said softly.

Scavenger tilted his head, clearly surprised. "This isn't a selfless gift, Sideswipe. You give me as much as you take."

Not what he felt. Not what he thought was happening. Still, Sideswipe knew that sharing was among equals. Scavenger didn't have to do it, though it was true that he got something out of it as well. Sideswipe simply felt like a needy drone, not an equal.

A black, clawed hand suddenly rested over his spark, barely touching the armor. He flinched. He hadn't heard the Constructicon move.

"You bear a split spark. You can never feel whole, Sideswipe," Scavenger said, voice low. "But you enjoy this as much as I do. Don't think. Feel."

Then he walked past the silver Autobot and left the quarters; quarters aboard the Ark Sideswipe had come back to each and every time; quarters that Scavenger wordlessly shared. Sideswipe couldn't remember the last time when he had been alone throughout his recharge cycles or system downtimes since they had begun sharing.

It should frighten him.

Actually, it made him mentally so much stronger to feel the pulse of the other spark.

A spark that wasn't Sunstreaker's. A spark that was whole and not split.

This was confusing. This was unexpected.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

It didn't stop Sideswipe from logging on again the next time, though.

And his spark relaxed and pulsed softly.


	6. Mutual Understanding

TITLE: Mutual Understanding  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
VERSE: movie  
CHARACTERS: Tony Stark (Iron Man), Scavenger, Sideswipe/Scavenger (off screen implied)  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: Tony is being Tony, checking on what the heck is going on with his former email pal and an Autobot called Sideswipe

You could say a lot about one Anthony Edward Stark, eccentric industrialist billionaire, CEO of Stark Industries, one of three human Primes, but he wasn't stupid – nor was he slow on the uptake. He was self-absorbed sometimes, he liked to pretend he was a superficial bastard, and he was responsible for all of Pepper's gray hairs – so she claimed.

While he knew his long-time guardian – babysitter, if Tony was asked about it – Rodimus Prime inside out and felt comfortable in that knowledge, he wasn't oblivious to others. Like Scavenger. He had exchanged emails with him for ages, had met Cyberbuilder3 in forums, had spent hours slaving over designs with the Constructicon after the mech had revealed himself – he knew him. Maybe not as well as his former combiner team mates, but he knew.

So when Scavenger started to behave differently, Tony noticed.

"You getting laid?" he asked out of the blue one day, after weeks of observation.

Scavenger's optics flared with surprise, then he gave an electronic whirr. "Come again?"

"Are you getting some?" Tony clarified, smirking.

He had been hip deep in a new experimental device and looked the part. Grease-stained, goggles perched on his head, fire-proof gloves holding a welder. His jeans were smeared with oil and he was wearing heavy work boots. Anyone who had never seen Tony out of his suits would never recognize him.

"I know that you know that we don't have sexual intercourse," Scavenger answered.

"No, you share. Same difference."

"I don't think so."

"It's an exchange of energy. We humans tend to do it with liquids involved, but it's the same exchange. And you should see the energy involved." Tony grinned.

"We still don't have sex. We don't procreate by seeking a suitable mate and sharing genetic material."

"You make it sound so dirty." Tony pulled off his gloves. "So you don't do it for the kids, but you do it."

"We share, yes."

"You get laid," Stark insisted. "You especially got laid in the past few weeks. You're… different." He gave Scavenger a suggestive smile.

"How would you be able to tell?"

"Let's call it a Prime thing."

"I call it a Tony thing. You're snooping."

"It's not hard to realize that you and Sideswipe are doing the nasty. The guy drops by more often than unwanted relatives throughout the holidays!"

Scavenger gazed long and hard at his human friend, then shrugged. "It's no secret. Why would you want to know?"

"I'm curious."

"I think you have a saying about that particular condition."

Stark shrugged. "Why Sideswipe?"

"Why not?"

It got the Constructicon an eye-roll. "There are better-suited mechs. Like your old team mates."

"How do you judge if someone is 'better suited'?"

"Good questions. It's just that I never figured you two would be… sharing."

"It's for mutual benefit."

"I bet." Tony smirked again.

"Why again is this interesting to you?"

Stark pulled off the goggles and put them onto the already discarded gloves. "Curious, like I said. Sideswipe's a twin. He lost his brother. Might just be a rebound thing."

"Might be."

"Which you don't mind because sharing is nothing like a bond," Tony concluded.

"Exactly."

"It's for mutual benefits."

"Yes."

"Good mutual benefits?"

Scavenger chuckled.

Tony stretched, joints cracking. "Good for you." He raised questioning brows.

Scavenger didn't fall for the tease.

"Oh," Stark laughed. "Very good for you. Which is good for you."

"Tony, drop the subject before I do it for you," the Constructicon warned.

"Dropping the subject was never my strong point."

"I figured."

Tony went over to his coffee machine and filled his mug, then took a deep swallow. "Ah, bliss."

"You're already over-caffeinated."

"You've never seen me over-caffeinated."

"I talked to Rodimus Prime."

"Tattle-tale," Tony groused, but he was smiling. And he emptied the coffee.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

When Tony went to catch up on some badly needed sleep, Scavenger felt his thoughts drift.

He had told the truth. The relationship between him and Sideswipe was casual. No strings attached. Mutual pleasure. Mutual benefit. They both came out of it feeling better and that was the reason to share. He didn't lose any further thought about it. Sharing was normal, and while he was designated a former Decepticon, Scavenger didn't see himself as one. He was Cybertronian, a Constructicon, and Sideswipe was a willing partner – for as long as he wanted to be.

He shut down his work station and left the lab, looking for Mixmaster. His friend had a few things planned he wanted to put through a stress test. Scavenger was looking forward to it.


	7. Split Complications

TITLE: Split Complications  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: so, maybe, Scavenger is now in over his head...

Okay, so he might have gotten in over his head.

So maybe he had underestimated what a twinned spark might do when interfacing with a normal spark.

So maybe he had let this go deeper than simple comfort.

So maybe staying together as long as they did was beyond normal sharing.

So maybe… just maybe… he was doing the wrong thing.

Scavenger sat in the middle of the Laguna Test Area at the Yuma Proving Ground, completely alone with himself and his thoughts, gazing at the harsh landscape in dusky twilight around him.

Sharing with another mech was an almost casual affair. Normal. Without bonds to tie either side down. There was no danger in sharing. No delicate data would be exchanged, no walls breached, no memory files accessed. Sharing was superficial, energy brushing against energy, almost primal in its origin.

It was for a kind of pleasure humans couldn't understand since their own receptors were so different, needed stimulation of a different kind, and their version of interfacing was guided by hormones. Mostly anyway. There was also lust and several issues Scavenger didn't understand; all alien to him.

Sharing was easy.

Sharing was brief and to the point, over when the energy dissipated.

But things had grown complicated for Scavenger.

Sideswipe was touching more than the surface. His spark was in need of more than the superficial rush. Each time they pulled apart, Scavenger felt something inside of him twang with the separation.

That wasn't normal.

When Sideswipe had started to stay close, both still linked and pretty much sharing sparks, Scavenger had let him. Because it had been good. Not like a combiner forced to acknowledge other sparks that had been pushed together; chained to one another. No, this was different. It was erasing the scars of Bonescrusher's dead link, making the black hole acceptable in its continued presence, and it soothed.

It wasn't a bond either. He had never been bonded – clearly – but what he understood of such rare occasions was the fact that both parties involved knew it right away. The two sparks would resonate off each other, aware that this was what the other had been missing. The draw and pull would be inevitable.

Scavenger had never felt any pull toward Sideswipe. He had never thought that this was something he had missed before. It was no different from the past encounters in his very long life. Comfort. Nice and pleasant.

But Sideswipe's spark was different. It was as rare as a bond. It was half of what it could be, shared by another mech who was called his twin.

Scavenger sighed softly. Whatever was happening, it was already in progress. He had allowed it to happen without knowing what it might bring.

Now he had to deal with the consequences. That the consequences were a really good time and very intense sharing sessions, followed by the very pleasant entwinement later, made it just harder to judge as something wrong or bad.

He liked it.

He hadn't lied to Tony when he had told him that his was casual; it was. It was simply a little bit more complicated than the casual he was used to.

Scavenger almost laughed. Right!

The last time he had had a partner had been long before the war, when he had been one of many. It had been a young, promising engineer who had later disappeared just before Megatron had started his all-out assault – before Scavenger and the other Constructicons had become pawns. Mindless and enslaved.

Now there was Sideswipe. Casual but not casual. Mutual benefits… with no complicated relationship issues. Something to help them both, Sideswipe a bit more than Scavenger.

And still… not normal. Not any more. Not like he remembered it from millennia ago. He wasn't getting old; he hadn't forgotten what had been before. He had gotten into something that was completely new territory.

And he should have known. He should have taken the split spark into consideration.

He hadn't.

Scavenger drummed his fingers against one armored leg.

Casual with a twist. He would have to see where this led, what developed. He didn't want to stop what was happening because it was good and normal and far from wrong.

Rising with the first sunlight, Scavenger transformed and headed back to the base. He would have to keep an optic on matters.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The problem was, as much as he had good intentions to monitor everything, matters turned more intense with each encounter.

Two weeks after his silent musings in the Yuma dawn, Sideswipe was back with him on the Ark, in his quarters, sharing his spark energy. Scavenger let him lead, guiding him with gentle pushes now and then, enjoying how sure of himself and the interface Sideswipe had become.

And with surprise he noticed how much the Autobot liked to tease throughout the first connection.

_Great Cybertron_, he only thought. _What have I gotten myself into?_

Because he wanted this. Because he liked this.

And he didn't want to miss it any more. 


	8. Past the Point of No Return

TITLE: Past the Point of No Return  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved

Scavenger looked up from the 3-D holographic model he was studying and glanced over to where Scrapper was doing some calculations. The red visor band and mouth guard gave nothing away.

"All right. Out with it."

Scrapper did a good job at appearing perplexed.

Scavenger sighed. "Whatever's on your mind, spill. I can feel it, Scrapper."

It got him a low chuckle. "Curse of the remaining combiner fragments."

"I'm not Hook. I can't read your mind," the other Constructicon said, not unkindly. "But I know something's up."

"As do I."

Scavenger didn't rise to the bait.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Scavenger?" Scrapper finally asked.

"What?"

"Sideswipe."

"What about him?"

If Scrapper wanted to know what was going on, he could very well ask.

"I'm your team leader. I noticed changes. I don't care whether you or anyone else chooses to share with another mech. This is developing into more, though, right?"

Scavenger turned away from the model and crossed his arms. "As you just said, none of your concern."

"I was simply wondering why."

"Why not? Did anyone need a reason in the past? It's for pleasure and relaxation. It's nice. It's fun. Nothing more."

The visor band glowed a deep red. "Are you sure?"

Scavenger froze. "What do you mean?"

"You have had partners before. You know how it felt. In that regard we didn't change. We might have lost part of our intellect and genius, but we didn't lose the basic function to feel. I've had my share of partners. Before we became a team, I had a long-time partner whom I enjoyed and who enjoyed me. Scavenger, this can get more than casual."

"No, it can't."

"Because it already is?"

He didn't answer.

Scrapper nodded as if it had been the answer he had been looking for.

Scavenger felt rattled to the core, like he had been blind-sided. He had come to realize this himself, that there was no going back. For someone else, who had no direct link into his spark or mind, to notice… Scrapper was his team leader; he was the second in command. Scavenger should have known the whole matter wouldn't pass any of the others just by. He should have known that Scrapper would approach him.

"Scavenger?"

He drew himself out of his musings.

"This is new territory. Be careful. It might backfire."

"It won't. It's nothing out of the ordinary!" he almost snapped, losing his temper in a rare moment.

Scrapper radiated doubt, but Scavenger didn't fall for it. He pointedly went back to work and Scrapper thankfully dropped the topic.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Much later, when he was alone and in his quarters, Scavenger still heard those words echo in his mind.

_It might backfire._

A small, still weak voice told him that it already had.

He was in over his head and unable to turn back. It was as if his spark was already entwined with Sideswipe's and unable to sever the link of an interface completely. He didn't feel the other mech when he was around, but he felt a lot when they were together.

He had looked up spark bonds and decided that, no, this wasn't one. He had looked into the connection between his kind and the humans. Not even close.

But something was happening.

It should scare him.

He wasn't a partner, just a way for Sideswipe to live, to feel, to ignore the emptiness his twin brother's absence had created. And Sideswipe gave him something in return: a strong enough presence to overlap where Bonecrusher's dead link still resided. A scabbed, partially scarred wound. Each time he was interfaced, linked, the numbness of that dead link faded to nothingness.

Equal benefits.

And still Scavenger knew that something else had developed.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sideswipe's next visit pushed those thoughts away. Locked in Scavenger's quarters they drew out their time together, locked in an interface, enjoying each other. All interface nodes were wide open. Complete connection.

And Scavenger silenced every nagging voice in his head.  



	9. Bruises

TITLE: Bruises  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: Scavenger makes a mistake and gets a technopathic blow to the processor for his troubles.

When Sam had brought up the idea, which had originated not in his own head but someone else's, Hook had been fascinated and had immediately taken to it. Within a day he had created a computer model that he had then fine-tuned and put under severe stress tests before he even had allowed Long Haul to build small scale. Within a week Scavenger had been pulled into the project and the three Constructicons had thrown themselves at the idea and made it work.

Scrapper had joined them to look at the finished product and was impressed.

"And it was Barricade's idea?" he asked Sam, who was sitting next to him on a low work bench.

The technopath shrugged. "He thought I should up the ante. Cybertronian minds I can handle, in small numbers, but he believes that exposing me to something slowly going toward the scale of a whole machine world might fry my brain."

"Possible. Your shields are not used to such massive input. You said before that the Ark sometimes gives you headaches."

Sam nodded slowly. "Migraines. Lots of them. If I have to work technopathically on top of that, with a lot of mechs around me, it's hellish. So this might help."

Scrapper had to agree.

"Not that I'm likely to ever visit your home," Sam added.

"You never know. And should more of our kind arrive…"

"…some of them may be Decepticons or Soundwave trying something…" Sam continued.

Scrapper nodded. "It is a good idea. You have a very dedicated guardian-teacher."

Sam laughed. "Oh, don't let him hear that."

The Constructicon's visor optics flared with amusement. "He knows where he stands, Sam. Beside you and behind you. He will always protect you, now more that you are one of the Primes."

The human grimaced.

"But he still thinks ahead, too. The emitter we built shows that."

The device that was close to being finished would be able to put Sam under pressure without sending him into a coma, and it would mimic different situations, up to the pressure of an artificial world made of machines. That would be the final setting. Right now they would start slow.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

A part of the honey-combed lab section at the Yuma base had been cleared to function as what Sam jokingly called the 'holo-deck'. Sam would come here whenever he wanted, set up the scenario he wanted to train, and one of the Constructicons would always be close by in case something went bad. Bumblebee accompanied him the first two times to be his anchor if he needed it. Sam did both times, but it wasn't as bad as expected.

Two weeks into trying out the emitter Scrapper was pleased with the results, even though they had had to stock up in technopath comfort food. Sam tended to overestimate himself, wanted too much, and it resulted in severe pain.

Barricade had accompanied the young Prime several times and Scrapper had witnessed a harsh lecture from the shock-trooper to Sam once. Barricade's words had been clear and to the point, telling Sam he was an idiot – which was the nice version of the words Barricade had used – and that he had to take it slow. He had nothing to prove.

Scrapper had had to smile at that.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Two months after the 'holo-deck' had been set up, it was Scavenger's turn to keep an eye on their human Prime. It was his third training run and Sam had set up a specific scenario today, one that had Barricade reappear like a dark shadow and hover close by.

The shock-trooper usually stood in front of the monitoring station, red optics fixed on whatever was going on, and sometimes Scavenger thought he caught signs of the anchor bond that existed between the former Decepticon and their young Prime. He was as always fascinated by it, but he had never acted on that fascination. He valued his core processor.

Today Barricade appeared tense and he seemed to flinch once or twice. Rumbling to himself he flexed his clawed hands.

And then something went wrong.

Some kind of loop that Sam suddenly found himself in that had him strike out with more force than necessary and Scavenger immediately powered down the emitter.

His mistake was to try and help after that.

He knew what Sam could do, had already encountered that strong technopathic mind when Sam had helped him through the separation from the combiner mind.

But he acted without thinking.

He got a full blow to his processor for his troubles and something seemed to try and erase his spark with the force that followed. It washed over him like a tidal wave of laser-sharp, slicing shards.

Something shrieked through him like a panicking drone, then the world went dark.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

He came on-line to an angry argument between Barricade and Hook that penetrated into his woozy processor.

"…had no business interfering," Barricade stated coldly. "The human defended himself against a perceived threat."

"Stop it, both of you!" Scrapper's voice silenced whatever Hook was about to say and Scavenger powered up his optics.

"Welcome back on-line," Long Haul muttered gruffly and Scavenger gave him a nod.

He sat up, feeling his systems protest, and his spark had a raw feeling to it.

"Sam okay?" he asked calmly, ignoring the discomfort he felt.

"Fine," Barricade growled. "Asleep."

With that he turned and left the medical lab, probably to go to the technopath in question and keep an optic on him.

Hook glared after him. "The nerve!" the architect muttered. "Arrogant trooper!"

"He was right, Hook. I shouldn't have approached Sam. He was defensive," Scavenger told his team mate. "Barricade is much better suited to handle Sam when he is like that."

"He should have better control of his responses," was all Hook said, then he left.

And Hook should remember what he had felt when Sam had been with him throughout the combiner separation. They all knew the human. They knew he was dangerous.

Scrapper shook his head, clapped Scavenger on one shoulder, and told him to take the rest of the day to recharge. It was good advice, but Scavenger decided to rebalance his systems by leaving the base for a while. He didn't feel like needing a recharge.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

When he returned he found that Sideswipe had arrived.

"I thought you were at Australia base."

Sideswipe shrugged. "Back again. Just a brief stint. Heard what happened."

Scavenger nodded. "I'm fine."

"I know Sam can hit hard. Looks like he hit you rather bad."

"Nothing permanently damaged, Sideswipe."

Blue optics scanned over him.

"You haven't recharged yet."

"I didn't need it. I'm okay, Sideswipe."

Sideswipe appeared indecisive, as if he wanted to dig deeper but wasn't sure he had the right to. His fingers twitched and finally he raised one hand. Scavenger caught it, pulling Sideswipe closer.

"I'm fine," he said.

Sideswipe's fingers brushed over the closed panels, once-twice, then sunk into the interface nodes when the panels opened. Scavenger winced a little at the energy pushing closer to his spark, aware that he was not as strong as he usually was.

Sideswipe moved back, then approached in a much smoother, softer way, brushing over the bruised spark. He wrapped gentle tendrils around the rougher edges, let Scavenger get accustomed to the touch, then pulled him in closer. Aware that he could truly hurt the other if he made a wrong move, Sideswipe did nothing to stress the other spark, kept the energy levels even, and for the first time in their partnership the rush didn't happen. It was a time of being together, drawing strength from each other.

Scavenger seemed to relax, systems powering down that weren't needed, and Sideswipe hummed softly, sending the vibrations through the connection they shared. They were very close now, close enough that usually a pulse of energy sent them both spiraling into pleasure, but this time it was more about a different kind of comfort.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sideswipe stayed for the whole time it took Scavenger's systems to recover from the technopathic blow. The Constructicon didn't slip into recharge, but he was out like a light, as humans liked to put it. Regarding the spark so close to him, Scavenger couldn't but marvel at the strength. Lesser mechs would have bruised and maybe cracked, btu Scavenger had almost shaken off the technopathic blow. Sure, he was sore and needed rest, but it could have been worse.

The connection stayed, even though Sideswipe had removed several interface nodes. It was a thin but strong line between them, giving him access into the other's systems without having to interface completely. Sideswipe looked at the silent spark next to him, took in the quiet echoes of their connection, felt the eddies of calm, and wondered about it all, what it meant, what it said about them.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

When he returned to the Yuma base, Sam was already waiting for him. Sideswipe had disappeared to go on patrol, which would take him a while – probably more than two weeks. He liked the extensive patrols.

Scavenger had enjoyed the recovery time with his partner.

Now he met the dark eyes of the human Prime, noticed how tired Sam looked. He didn't need to scan to know that the technopath would have to take a few days off to rebalance himself, too.

"Sorry," Sam said, embarrassment in his voice.

"You did nothing wrong."

"I overestimated myself. Again."

"That's why we built the machine. I should have known not to approach you, let Barricade handle this. I should apologize, Sam."

It got him a shrug.

Despite the exhaustion, Sam's eyes were intense. Scavenger shifted, feeling a little like an open book right now.

"Scavenger… I'm sorry, but I wanted to know you're all right and I scanned you," Sam suddenly blurted. "When you were in med bay."

"It's okay. I know you did it to help."

"I… noticed something, though."

He tilted his head. "What?"

"I'm not really sure. I checked your spark, in case I did damage, and it was… different."

Scavenger felt his systems fizzle a little. "Different?"

"I can't compare it to anything. I mean, you're not bonded. I know what that feels like. But it's… like there is resonance. An echo of something I can't define or follow. A bond I could follow, so I know it's definitely not that. And it's not what the connection to the other former combiners felt like." Sam ran a hand through his hair. "And the…scars, for lack of a better word, of Bonecrusher's dead link are… getting better."

Scavenger whirred, unable to say anything. Sam just met the red optics, quizzical, unsure. He finally knelt down to look into Sam's eyes.

"How extensive are the changes?"

"I wouldn't call them changes, Scavenger. It's more like… something is helping you heal. And it didn't feel permanent. Only an addition."

The Constructicon was silent, then gave an electronic sigh. "An addition."

"What did you do?" Sam asked openly.

He chuckled. "I'm surprised the grapevine hasn't picked up on it already."

Sam frowned. "Picked up what?"

"Sideswipe."

The dark eyes widened and Scavenger was sure he was being scanned, though he didn't feel anything. "You and Sideswipe share?"

"Yes."

"Uh. Okay. But sharing doesn't… create such… attachments."

"No, it doesn't."

Sam looked mystified. "You might wanna let Ratchet take a look at things, you know."

"I'd rather not. Not right now anyway, but thank you for your concern, Sam."

The technopath silently studied him, then shrugged. "Okay. You're a grown mech."

Scavenger chuckled, catching the reference. "I am. I promise, should something change, I'll talk to you or Ratchet."

"Good."

Scavenger rose. "And you should get some sleep."

"I will. Bumblebee is already waiting." Sam smiled. "Take care, Scavenger. Whatever this is, whatever you two share, it is good for you, for your spark."

Scavenger was slightly stunned, then just nodded and accompanied their young Prime to his partner.

He watched the yellow Camaro drive off, deep in thought.  



	10. Fragile Tensions

TITLE: Fragile Tensions  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: Sunstreaker arrives on Earth. 'Nuff said.

That he had made it to this strange and organic world had been pure happenstance coupled with the amazing work done by the Junkions. Sunstreaker had woken on a cold and lonely battlefield, his armor blown to pieces, most of his systems crashing wildly, his spark flickering, and he had had no idea where he truly was. It wasn't Tyger Pax any more. He must have managed to get to this place – wherever – and then his systems had collapsed.

Crawling, stumbling and limping over dead shells and through ruins, Sunstreaker had been plagued by wavering vision, severe balance problems, and continued systems blows. The sky had been burning, the ground a charred ruin. Cities had disappeared in chasms, bomb craters had replaced roads, and wildfires had threatened every survivor.

Nothing had survived of the once proud and beautiful structures of Cybertron.

Sunstreaker had collapsed in the ruins of what had been a hangar, between the skeletons of burned-out shuttles. He had stared through the open roof, into the orange and yellow sky where lighting had flickered through the clouds of fire.

A mech called Detritus had found him. Sunstreaker had never seen a Junkion before, but he hadn't care who the mech was, just that he wasn't a Decepticon. The few basic repairs Detritus had done had helped him already.

The next time he was truly on-line had been on Junkion, far away from Cybertron, with no clue as to how Detritus had got him here – and why. Wreck-Gar, who seemed to be something of a tribe leader of these strange mechs, had welcomed him. And they had repaired him.

Sunstreaker had needed some time to get a grip on the changed situation, especially when he had been told by Wreck-Gar that Cybertron was apparently dead. No other mechs had been found alive in his vicinity, but he had insisted to go back.

They had dropped him off, with best wishes, and then left once more.

He had searched the battlefields, had tried to find his twin, but of Sideswipe there had been no trace. He had run into a few survivors, lost souls, traumatized and shy of anyone approaching them, and in the end Sunstreaker had left Cybertron once more.

His arrival on Earth had been in the middle of the Australian night, following the signal of Optimus Prime, and his orders to head for the deserts of the largest island on Earth. He had been greeted by Arcee and Prowl.

The relief and joy at seeing his former team leader had nearly overwhelmed the traumatized mech. Sunstreaker had tried to think of his team as alive, but with time passing by, he had lost hope more and more. Now her he was, Prowl, alive and well, his usual stoic and distant self. It had been overwhelming.

And then he had been told about Sideswipe.

Sunstreaker had felt his spark come alive once more and when he was finally at Nevada, he had truly found his brother again. Sunstreaker had felt his twin's absence in a way. He had first thought the darkness was just that: darkness. It was the trauma of the war, waking up half-dead and dying, being repaired by Junkions, and travelling the galaxies to find his twin and the rest of the Autobots. Now he knew that he had also missed half of his spark.

Briefings were filled with surprise and suspicions on Sunstreaker's side, but he had to accept the changes. Getting used to humans was… difficult, but he managed. Getting accustomed to the changed humans, especially the one with the Allspark skin, had been not as easy.

All that paled when Sideswipe told him about sharing with a Constructicon. A former Decepticon. A former slave and drone and pawn, as Sideswipe had added. Scavenger and the other four Constructicons had never sided with Megatron; they had been forced by Shockwave's Modulator.

"It feels good," Sideswipe simply said when he told him about the sharing.

Sunstreaker had felt at a complete loss hearing this. "He's a Decepticon!" he blurted.

Blue optics in a face similar to his flared furiously. "No. He's a Constructicon and an ally. He never served Megatron. None of them did."

"He used you," Sunstreaker growled.

Sideswipe shook his head. "If anything, I used him. I couldn't stand feeling like this. He offered and I took. A lot."

Sunstreaker studied the silver form of his twin. He trusted in his judgment, he just couldn't fathom sharing with another mech. He had never felt the need.

No, he didn't really understand. Nor did he understand how a bond could exist between Jazz and Barricade. Sure, before the war there had been no sides and 'Autobot' or 'Decepticon' hadn't existed. Sure, a shock trooper and a saboteur specialist like Jazz were very much alike. But that a bond could exist between two mechs serving different commanders? How had Jazz managed? How could Optimus Prime have trusted the silver mech to even make him First Lieutenant?

It was more than his processor could handle right now.

Maybe that was why Sideswipe returned to his sharing partner; a Decepticon pawn.

It gave Sunstreaker a strange jab in his systems, which had nothing to do with anger.

"Accept it or don't," Sideswipe told him harshly. "I did what I felt was right. I survived! As did you!"

"I didn't start sharing with the enemy, selling myself to his pleasure!"

It got him a blow to the chest that had rattled his systems and he knew he had deserved it. At least now he did, hours later.

Sharing wasn't selling yourself. It was a voluntary connection between two mechs. Scavenger wouldn't have been able to force this on his twin, Sunstreaker understood.

But why had Sideswipe sought out a Constructicon? Why not one of the Autobots?

And why was he so prickly about it? Why defend his choices so furiously? Why defend the other mech?

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

He threw himself into finding out about the Constructicons, about Scavenger, and it drew the attention of Sam Witwicky. Sunstreaker had tried to keep out of the way of the alien beings he didn't understand, who were so much smaller, lived such short lives, and easily damaged or off-lined. Optimus had told him that the humans were not to be underestimated. Sunstreaker had simply nodded, but he hadn't approached them in any way.

Now Sam was looking at him with an expression that said that he knew something was going on and Sunstreaker wondered how much the technopath usually read.

"I'm not snooping around in your head," the human answered the unspoken question. "I'm simply noticing strong emotions or surges. Like yours lately."

Sunstreaker scowled. "None of your business, human."

"The name is Sam, _mech_," was the sharp reply. "And it is my business. Especially if it concerns not only you, but also your twin. Sideswipe survived your absence, the very real possibility that you had off-lined, and he clawed himself out of this abyss. Scavenger helped. It's all he ever did. There are no nether reasons to sharing. Even if you never had a partner, you should know that Scavenger could never have forced himself on Sideswipe."

Sunstreaker glared at the human.

"Get over it, Sunstreaker," Sam said levelly. "Sideswipe took what he needed after it was voluntarily offered. He survived."

The Autobot stared hard, then turned and stalked away.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

When Sideswipe came back two days later, he appeared calm and balanced. Sunstreaker watched him darkly. He knew where he had been. Yuma. The Constructicon base. With Scavenger.

He cornered his twin later that evening. Sideswipe looked defensive and tense, like he was a second away from releasing his blades.

"I want to know," Sunstreaker said matter-of-factly.

"Know what?"

"What it's like."

Sideswipe blinked. He was clearly stunned. "You want to meet Scavenger?" he then clarified.

"Yes."

"And then what?"

Sunstreaker smiled. "We'll see?"

Sideswipe was silent, just looking at him. Sunstreaker had never noticed how grounded his twin suddenly seemed, like he had received something Sunstreaker wasn't privy to.

And he wanted it. He wanted to know and maybe more.

"Sides," he said, trying for calm. "This is new. For me, at least. I never fathomed… you would share with someone."

"You thought we would share?" his twin exclaimed.

"No!" Sunstreaker was somehow disgusted. He couldn't think of being that close to his brother. It was enough to be who they were, as they were. "I just… We were always… unique."

"Still are," was the easy reply, coupled with a crooked grin. "Twins. Nothing can change that. One spark. You're still my brother and always will be."

"Now with an addition?"

Sideswipe shrugged. "We'll see?" he echoed the words from before.

Sunstreaker nodded. "We'll see."

He wanted to know more, what this was about, and slowly the notion to experience it himself made itself known.

He clasped his brother's offered hand and squeezed it, then pulled him into a half-hug.

"We're good," he said softly.

Sideswipe nodded. "Always were." He grinned. "You're still a sociopath and an idiot."

"And since we're twins, so are you."

It got Sunstreaker a laugh. He grinned more, glad to have found his brother again, glad they were both alive and functional. He would handle this, too. He would see what happened now.


	11. Ups and Downs

TITLE: Ups and Downs  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved

Sunstreaker's arrival on Earth should have stopped it all. With his twin back, Sideswipe's spark - their spark - was complete. While Sunstreaker was suffering what humans called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – the mech version of it anyway – he was still the same mech Sideswipe had always known. A bit harsher, a bit harder, but still his brother.

But Sideswipe returned to Scavenger. He had sought out the engineer in Yuma and when he had stepped into the small lab at the end of a complicated web of lab section, he had known that he had truly missed this. Red optics had regarded him curiously, but there had been no protests. Scavenger had welcomed him and given Sideswipe what he had been looking for.

Scavenger looked at him oddly when they separated. "I feel the difference in you. You're… complete." He sounded almost amused.

Sideswipe's optics flared, then he stepped back. Scavenger chuckled.

"Your brother is back, your spark is complete, but still you're here."

Sideswipe heard the unspoken question. He was here… why? Yes, his twin was back; he should be whole. He was whole. Just not complete.

Feeling Scavenger's energy push against his spark made him feel more than anything else before. And he felt it so much more intensely because the darkness of Sunstreaker's loss was gone. With his spark stronger, the sensations were stronger.

He wasn't an addict.

He didn't need it.

He just wanted the feeling to return. And he wouldn't ask any of the others. Scavenger was known, familiar…

x x x x x x x x x

The Constructicon didn't get an answer as Sideswipe left.

x x x x x x x x x

He returned a week later, on a standard patrol, and he was trailed by a yellow Spyker C8 Aileron. Sunstreaker made his name all honor and while he looked different from his twin in car mode, he had features that strongly resembled his brother in his bipedal form.

Scavenger felt a trickle of unease when the twins found him in his lab. The danger that radiated off the yellow mech was almost palpable. Sure, Sideswipe wasn't one to take lightly. He was a warrior who had ruthlessly killed and would kill without remorse again. Sideswipe had been a frontliner, one of those mechs who were first into a battle and left death in their wake. He had taken sparks without reserve and so had others.

Scavenger didn't feel threatened, though. He knew his own abilities matched those of either twin. It was simply the presence the Sunstreaker had.

He was there. Simply there. Powerful and no-nonsense.

The Constructicon felt no intimidation, just… respect. And curiosity.

"So you're Sunstreaker," the engineer said slowly.

Blue optics studied him like he was some alien life form. "Sides told me about you guys," Sunstreaker said, voice cool and unemotional.

'You guys'. The Constructicons? Scavenger wondered how deeply Sunstreaker had been briefed. Probably enough to know the corner points of this alliance. Enough that the Primes would let him accompany his twin.

Or was the 'you guys' related to him and Sideswipe. Most likely.

"Can't do anything about it," Sunstreaker added, but he sounded like he would like to.

"Your brother made a choice and it is his choice to continue or to stop it. We're not bonded."

The yellow mech snorted. His optics seemed to want to drill a hole into Scavenger's processor. Finally he turned and walked away.

"Sunstreaker?" Sideswipe called, sounding confused.

"See you later, bro," was the only answer he got.

"It was your idea to come with me and meet Scavenger!"

"And I met him."

"What the Pits is wrong with you?"

Sideswipe got no answer. Sunstreaker transformed and shot off, engine howling angrily.

"He's got a problem," Scavenger stated.

Sideswipe sighed.

"With us."

Another electronic sigh. "Yeah."

"There is an easy way out of that."

Almost similar blue optics now bore into him, but this time with a different kind of anger. "No."

"Sideswipe…"

"Sunstreaker's an ass. My brother, but an ass. I might share a spark with him, but that's no reason to do as he does, to think the same thoughts. I'm my own person and I stand by my decision."

Scavenger regarded him long and hard. "As I said: we're not bonded, Sideswipe. This is…"

"…what I want, Scavenger. He accepts it or he doesn't. End of discussion."

The Constructicon nodded his acceptance. It wasn't his fight to fight.

x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x

Scavenger came to with a start; it had been the first time he had actually off-lined. Sideswipe was stirring next to him with weakly glowing optics.

"You okay?" the silver mech asked, voice soft.

Scavenger nodded and sat up. "How about yourself?"

"Kinda… overwhelmed. In a good way. This was… intense."

Scavenger got up, very much aware of it. Sideswipe had come in after another argument with his brother, which had resulted in Sideswipe leaving the base and driving through the night to get to Yuma. Their connection had been fast and furious, leaving both mechs stunned by the intensity.

Sideswipe got up, brushing over the open sockets along Scavenger's arms and reminding him to close them. It was a private little gesture that astounded the other mech.

"Sunstreaker's left me an apology," he now said.

Scavenger hummed softly.

"I'm not sure what he wants. On one side he wants to get to know you, then when he does, he's his usual sociopathic self. He goes on patrols with me, then starts bitching about what we share. Then he starts spouting earth slang. Bros before hos, and things like that."

"Jealousy?" Scavenger hazarded a guess as he accessed the data bank to get a translation of the human phrase.

It got him a humorless snort of laughter. "Of what? Sunyn and I, never shared. We share a split spark, but we're not the same person and never will be. What I do he has and never had control over, and vice versa. As much as I love him, I also want to kick his aft for being such a hardhead! He has no right judging me!"

Scavenger nodded slowly. "You are an individual and as such are allowed to make mistakes yourself."

Blue optics flared. "This is not a mistake!" was the harsh growl. "This is what I want! And don't tell me you'd just step back and forget what we have!"

Scavenger was torn. He knew he wanted to continue this, but if it meant destroying the twin connection…

Sideswipe pushed him hard against the wall, rattling a few subsystems. "I won't stop. Never," he said, voice hard and final. "Not for Sunstreaker, not for anyone. He has no power of command over me!"

"All right," Scavenger accepted, gently nudging the hand off his chest armor.

The silver Autobot nodded sharply. "I'll talk to him, again, if he lets me, but if he stays as contrary as he has so far, he can go frag himself."

Scavenger felt amusement rise. "Had arguments like these in the past?"

"Always. Ask Prime. Terror of his command." Sideswipe smirked. "Terror Twins, that was us. But it was never over a partner in sharing." Sideswipe slumped against the wall next to the other mech. "Usually over harmless stuff. Or inane things. Sometimes over commanding officers." He grinned. "Prowl was always good for such stuff. Fragger. He was so easy to annoy. It was fun! Really a lot of fun. We came straight from the Academy, which was probably glad to be rid of us, and under his tutelage. I think he thanked Primus when we were transferred somewhere else, and cursed his bad luck when we came back into his team."

"Now it's more personal."

"Yeah."

"And only concerns you."

A nod.

Scavenger silently waited for Sideswipe to make up his mind. His partner finally did. Silver fingers trailed over the closed interface nodes, stroking the armor, almost caressing it.

"He'll learn to live with it," the Autobot stated.

Scavenger smiled slightly. "Will he?"

"Give him a century of two." Sideswipe chuckled and shrugged. "He said he wants to see how this plays out, wants to give it a chance. That he's also such a jerk… gotta deal with it when it happens. If he wants to be an ass about it half of the time, so be it. I'm not stopping him. By tomorrow he'll be his obnoxious self again, before he finds another reason to run off his mouth and be a sociopath."

"Just another day?"

"Yeah. Kinda. You'd think I opted on Megatron as a partner for all the things he's sometimes spouting."

Scavenger chuckled. "I guess I'm not rating that badly."

Intense blue optics focused on the Constructicon. "I stand by my decision, Scavenger. Sunny's the one who has to get his head out of his aft and start accepting what has changed."

"Until then…?"

"Nothing changes with us. Nothing at all," Sideswipe stated seriously.

Scavenger nodded. "I can live with that."

x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x

Want to see what a Spyker C8 Aileron looks like? Go here: foreverdriven dot wordpress dot com slash 2009 slash 07 slash 14 slash the-spyker-c8-aileron  



	12. Consequences

TITLE: Consequences  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: Things get tricky...

It shouldn't have been possible.

At least medical science told him that, as far as he knew about that particular field anyway.

Scavenger felt the explorative touch, the gentle caress, over the open interface circuits, then the connection was made and he was embraced by the familiar warmth and flowing energy of the split spark he was still getting to know.

Sideswipe had a lot less reservations than the Constructicon would ever have believed, and he would seek out the other mech when he was in the area. Sometimes he would come just for this occasion. Scavenger felt the healing scars of the split spark and he knew he was doing a lot to further that healing. Sideswipe had been through a lot throughout the final stages of the war and he had probably lost more of himself than Ratchet realized or wanted to believe.

Scavenger had never known the twin before his arrival on Earth, damaged and scarred. It was a different kind of scarring than his brother's, who had arrived a few months ago. Sunstreaker had scraped by and pulled himself out of the abyss, had survived against all odds on a battlefield littered with dead shells, and he had made it this far.

And Scavenger was suddenly interwoven with both of them in a way he had never thought possible. Well, Sunstreaker wasn't linked to him directly, only through his twin, but there was a connection that wasn't based on sharing or touching the twinned spark directly.

It had been Hook of all mechs who had approached him and offered a scan. The engineer and architect who was always so absorbed in his work that you could blow up the lab and he wouldn't even notice, had told Scavenger that this needed monitoring.

'This' being his involvement with the twins.

"I share, Hook. I'm not 'involved'," Scavenger had told him. "You spent too much time with Tony."

It got him a glare. "Call it what you will, but this is far more. You shared with a split spark. No one has ever done that before. Not in the recorded history. Might be because split sparks are more rare than bonds. Five confirmed pairs of twins in our known history. What does that tell you?"

Scavenger had relented and given in to the scan.

The result had been… disconcerting. He wouldn't go as far as to say frightening. It was… not what he had expected.

Running a hand over the armor protecting his spark, he tried not to see it too negatively.  
Sideswipe's hand grabbed his own, his blunt fingers in sharp contrast to the more taloned ones. Those blunt tips caressed the nodes, playful. It was so at odds with how the Autobot usually appeared. Scavenger shot him a questioning look.

Sideswipe didn't say anything, but the expression in his optics was meaningful.

"Want to stop now?" Scavenger asked, voice even.

"I don't think I… we… can anymore."

It was like a blow to his spark chamber. Scavenger's optics flared as the other mech said what he had been thinking about.

"We both know it, Scavenger."

Yes, he did. Still…

"There are other mechs willing to share, Sideswipe," Scavenger said carefully, repeating what he had said weeks before. "This isn't a sensation bound to me."

"It is. You feel good."

"How would you know? You never shared before."

"And I doubt I want to share with anyone else. It's either you or not at all."

Scavenger's mind was reeling. This was crazy! It wasn't a bond, but it wasn't a simple sharing any more either.

Sideswipe pressed closer, sinking into the contact, their circuits fizzing slightly with the interface's pleasure. Scavenger realized he didn't want to let this go either.

Something new. They had created something terribly new and unexplored. A spark connected to a split – twinned - spark.

Not a bond.

A bond meant a deeper understanding of each other. He understood nothing of those two, aside from what they let on.

Blue optics darkened and the playfulness was back. Scavenger let his systems give in. Sideswipe pushed harder, more sure of his actions than in the beginning.

"Do you want this?" Scavenger asked, sounding a bit strangled.

"Who wouldn't? It's good."

"But wrong."

It got him a laugh. "Maybe. I'm not listening to anyone about this any more." It sounded almost teasing. "I like it. I want it." The circuits closed completely. "And you want it yourself."

Yes. Badly. A lot.

Scavenger pulled the other spark toward him, let the rush of energy take over and white out his system.

So, so badly…


	13. Splice

TITLE: Splice  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: Sam makes a first diagnosis of what happened to Sideswipe and Scavenger... kinda...

Scavenger had debated with himself long and hard, but when Sam Witwicky came for a brief stint of lab work and testing to Yuma, he knew he had to make up his mind or let the subject drop forever.

So he had made up his mind.

Sam looked at him with an odd expression as he sat on one of the mech-sized work tables, cross-legged, eyes intense.

"I thought something was up," the human technopath finally said. "Sideswipe was getting so much more bearable."

Scavenger smiled a little, a brief flash of red optics.

"I didn't think he was actually sharing with anyone. Since he's a twin and all."

"It was never intended to be more than comfort; mutual pleasure."

"Now it's more?"

Scavenger shrugged. "That's why I asked you."

"You want me to scan you?" Sam sounded apprehensive, almost as if he doubted Scavenger's sincerity.

The Constructicon nodded.

"You know what it involves," Sam stated. He had been inside Scavenger's mind throughout the long and hard process of separating the combiner mind and healing their fractured programs.

"Yes."

"What do you think I can do?"

"Not do. Find. I want to know if something changed…"

"In what way? Any symptoms?"

It sounded almost medical. Scavenger silently ran the question around his mind.

"I think that something changed, Sam. Something no one could have predicted. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker share one spark and they have never sought out a partner. They never shared among themselves. They exist as two minds and two bodies, but one spark. Sideswipe shouldn't… connect to me like that."

Sam frowned. "Uhm, how?"

"Deeply, Sam. Unsettling deeply."

Brows rose abruptly. "Like a bond?"

"No. I can't feel him like that. I shouldn't be so receptive either. Nor should he need to continue this relationship."

Sam ran a hand through his tousled hair. "Okay. I'll scan. This sounds weird, Scavenger."

"Tell me about it."

That got the Constructicon a grin. "Relax. You best sit down. I'll try to be as quick as possible."

Scavenger followed the advice and relaxed. He knew Sam's touch and he knew the technopath wasn't out to harm him.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sam had no idea how to classify what he had touched and seen. He was intimately familiar with the bond shared by Jazz and Barricade.

It wasn't like that.

He knew what he and Bumblebee shared, which was as close to a bond as a human could come.

It wasn't that either.

Lennox and Ironhide were something completely unique.

And so were those three now.

Scavenger's spark seemed to have attached itself to Sideswipe's frequency and vice versa. There was a faint resonance that spoke of a familiarity that couldn't be explained by regular sharing. Two mechs couldn't alter each other's resonance.

But those two had… changed.

Somehow.

Geez…

Sam looked into the red optics watching him calmly. "This is… strange," he finally said.

"I figured."

"And from all I know about sharing and bonds, it's impossible. You shouldn't be influenced by this, Scavenger."

"But I am."

"Not bonded, but more than sharing. Geez… And you really can't feel him, right? No echoes, hums or pulses?"

"No."

"All you get is the rush and the feeling that it's right?"

Scavenger nodded.

Sam mulled that over, together with what he had felt and seen. Scavenger's systems looked whole and healthy and strong. He had come out of the combiner separation just fine. He didn't suffer. He hadn't suffered. He had also handled it all pretty much like a normal mech would have. No more scars than any of the others.

Now that.

"I wish I could tell you what this is," Sam finally said.

"I didn't think you could give me an answer, Sam. I simply wanted to know that what I think might have happened, did."

"Well, in a way, yes. If you think that you and Sideswipe now seem to be kinda resonating. God, that sounds bad." Sam shook his head.

Scavenger chuckled. "To a human maybe."

"But there are no other changes," Sam added. "Nothing bad I can detect. You want to continue this?"

"Yes," was the honest answer.

Sam tilted his head, a fine smile around his lips. "Okay."

He was very well aware of the fact that his wasn't anything close to a human relationship, or one between a human and a mech. But it was different than anything before now.

"Will you tell him?"

"I should," Scavenger answered slowly. "He has a right to know. He's as much involved as I am."

"If Sideswipe pulls out of this after you break the news, will you be able to handle it?"

The Constructicon snorted. "This is hardly anything like your soaps, Sam."

"Never said so. You're just very much accustomed to it now."

"It's not an addiction."

That got him a dubious look and Scavenger gave an electronic sigh.

"This isn't anything we know, Scavenger," the technopath said. "It's new. You might start experiencing stuff, both of you, that no one can explain."

"I know. I guess it's too late anyway. It started out as an off balance sharing to give comfort. Now…"

"Now you're achieving balance and it's good?" Sam guessed with a smile.

"Yes."

"Good for you then."

And nothing anyone could do anything about.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Scavenger mulled over what Sam had told him and he knew things would get more complicated in the future. Not a bond, not a simple interface. Something that was somewhere between those two, but couldn't be defined. No handy definition. No category they could put it into.

And changing.

Sunstreaker took the news almost stoically. He had been there when Scavenger had sought out Sideswipe and told the Constructicon that whatever this was about, it concerned him, too.

In a way it did. Scavenger had briefly wondered whether Sunstreaker shared a twin frequency as well. If so, matters would get difficult.

Sideswipe had a guilty expression in his optics. "You mind?" he asked before his twin could say anything.

"No. Do you?"

It got him narrowed optics from Sunstreaker whose misgiving expression hadn't wavered. Scavenger couldn't care less what the other Autobot thought. This was about him and Sideswipe.

Sideswipe looked even more guilty. "I'm sorry," the silver mech finally said.

"Not your fault," Scavenger readily told him. "I agreed. It was what I wanted."

"So what we got now is a splice," Sideswipe said. "No bond, no link, no simple sharing. Parts are interwoven, but not completely."

Scavenger nodded. "Seems like we have overlapping spark energies."

Sunstreaker growled something inaudible and suddenly stalked off, pushing past his twin. Sideswipe gave an electronic sigh and shook his head.

"Not working out well?" Scavenger asked, sounding almost even.

Sideswipe shrugged. "Today was one of the better days."

"Really."

He grinned. "Yeah. He didn't sock me one. But he's getting better. This is getting to him. Earth, the loss of the Allspark, Lennox, Sam, you, me, Tony, the five Primes… Called him an old geezer for being so inflexible."

The Constructicon smiled. Sideswipe shrugged.

"He socked you one?" Scavenger hazarded a guess.

"Nah. We raced, got beaten by Jazz, and he was fine."

"Till now."

Sideswipe was suddenly closer, brushing inquisitive hands over shielded nodes. It was one change from what mechs normally did when sharing. Caresses did nothing, relayed no energy. But this… this did. This was teasing and inquisitive, as well as slightly pushy. He had no idea if the Autobot understood it was a very human gesture, and Scavenger, who knew humans, found it strangely compelling.

He regarded Sideswipe steadily. He didn't say that this was different. He didn't need to.

Again it was something new.

So very, very new.

And so very, very good. Overwhelming his circuits, their circuits, pushing them further past what could have been easy and what might be easy now – now that they understood.

::You want it:: Sideswipe whispered.

::Yes, all of it::

The sparks connected to one, became one, and Scavenger's optics turned dark as he let himself fall.

The world took on a an electric blue hue, then everything was drowned in the rush. 


	14. Medical Investigations

It's too hot to think and write... bah! Sorry for the long wait.

TITLE: Medical Investigations  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance  
VERSE: movie  
CHARACTERS: Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Ratchet, Sam Witwicky, Scavenger  
PAIRING: Sideswipe/Scavenger  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: "This has never happened before in any of the mechs I had under my care! It's physically impossible to fragment a spark and splice it to another."

final installment in this series

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

When Ratchet heard about it the first time, he chalked it off to Sideswipe's instable processor. He didn't judge him by his choices. Scavenger wasn't the enemy; he was an ally. He was a capable scientist and a calmer personality than the silver mech he was sharing with.

When the sharing wasn't just a one-time event but turned into something regular, Ratchet was bemused and decided to keep an optic on the developments.

Sunstreaker's arrival should have put a stop it all.

Ratchet's confusion rose when it didn't.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"This is highly irregular," he murmured to himself.

Scavenger crossed his arms in front of his chest, giving the medic a warning look. Ratchet ignored him and puzzled over the readings he had taken.

"Part of your core spark unit has apparently reattached itself to… another spark," Ratchet went on. "This has never happened before in any of the mechs I had under my care! It's physically impossible to fragment a spark and splice it to another."

"Uhm, split sparks?" Sideswipe reminded him.

Ratchet waved him off. "No, no, no. Split sparks are created like that, for unknown reasons, maybe due to a glitch, maybe because of a processing disorder in the Allspark, maybe because of some higher purpose we never figured out. There were only a few twins ever created, three of which existed in my time."

Blue optics fixed on Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, then were back on the readings.

"Splicing a spark is far beyond what any Cybertronian medic could ever perform. It's impossible for a spark to break off parts of itself and merge with another spark! Like I said, highly irregular. I can't think of any way this might ever happen, but it did. The closest I can compare it to is fission and that would create an enormous amount of energy. Which is unlikely to occur throughout sharing. Sharing doesn't create energy. It's an exchange."

Scavenger shifted again, the warning back. The red optics had changed to a darker color.

"Ratch," Sam prodded.

Ratchet stopped his rambling and looked at the assembled mechs. "Yes, well… this has never happened before."

"We know that, Ratchet," Scavenger told him. "It's not normal, has never happened before, and it's fascinating. I didn't want this and I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat us like some new life form."

Ratchet appeared a little startled. "My apologies, Scavenger. I have to confess that I've never seen readings like these before."

"Told you," Sideswipe muttered.

"And neither of you experiences any form of a bond? You can't feel each other's presence? You didn't exchange data? There is no negative feedback, no loops, no glitches?"

"No." Scavenger's single uttering sounded final. "And I'm not going to be an experiment either."

"I never implied that."

"But you think we're fascinating and need to be studied," Sideswipe stated. "That means a lab and lots of stupid questions, studying, poking and prodding."

Scavenger's optics darkened briefly. His fingers flexed.

"It should be monitored," Ratchet conceded. "If this continues to develop we have no idea what might happen."

"We'll inform you of severe changes," Scavenger simply said, sounding brisk and final.

Ratchet looked like he wanted to argue, then glanced at Sam. The technopath's expression was intense and like he had just told Ratchet to can it.

The medic finally nodded. "Please do so. This is for you as much as it is for the science. We have no idea what this means to your sparks."

"It's gonna be fine," Sideswipe said, shrugging and grinning. "I feel great."

"We told you so you would be aware of it, Ratchet," Scavenger said, voice still very level. "I doubt any… medical consequences come of it."

"Are you a medic?" Ratchet snapped.

"No. But I'm well aware of my own spark and my systems. Hook ran a complete check and found nothing amiss."

"Hook is an architect and engineer, not trained as a medical officer."

Sam cleared his throat before matters could start escalating. "Guys…"

A technopathic prod helped.

Scavenger gave Sam a nod and stepped down, but he was glowering at Ratchet. Ratchet in turn huffed, but he stepped down as well.

"We'll let you know if something changes," Sideswipe promised.

Scavenger turned to leave. Sam watched him go, keeping his face blank. The twins followed.

Sunstreaker had been silent throughout the whole discussion, but it had been clear that he had been there for his twin and that he was slowly getting used to the partnership between Sideswipe and Scavenger. There had been a very protective streak visible when it had come to the whole 'studying in a lab' argument.

Sam only hoped that, for all three of them, Sunstreaker would finally accept this for real.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sunstreaker was only too glad to leave the base and shot off at high speed, polished yellow finish gleaming in the sun. Sideswipe followed, no less glad to be away, while Scavenger had remained at the base. Neither of the twins missed him in any way, but Sunstreaker had found that within the six months he had by now been involved in this relationship he kept out a closer optic for the Constructicon.

He had fought all of this. It had been inconceivable for him to see his twin with another mech, a Constructicon to boot! But he had gotten to know Scavenger and he had seen the positive effect on Sideswipe. And in a way it had a positive effect on him. The whole matter had forced him to confront his own relationship and behavior to his brother, to the other mechs on Earth, and his fractured psyche. He had healed, in a way. Like Sideswipe. They were back together and his twin had found balance in form of a mech he was sharing with.

Sunstreaker was far from wanting the same. He couldn't understand the attraction and he doubted he could connect to anyone this way. But the eddies coming from Sideswipe, the faint echoes he had told no one about, were calming and soothing.

The other four of the team of genius architects and engineers had accepted the twins as if this was no change at all. Hook couldn't care less about one or both hanging around the base and had told them so. They weren't attached at the hip, but they tended to drift toward each other now and then.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sideswipe finally skidded to a halt, transforming in mid-slide, and kicked up dust. Sunstreaker followed suit, shooting his brother a quizzical look.

"You think Ratchet's right and things might change?" Sideswipe asked without preamble.

Sunstreaker shrugged. "Can't stop it."

So much was true. Sideswipe didn't to give up on what he had. It might be unique, but it was good. It felt good, it was intense and personal, and it was reciprocated. Sideswipe no longer felt like he was using Scavenger, who had told him a few times before that abuse couldn't happen throughout sharing.

"Or do you want to pull out now?"

Sideswipe shook his head. Sunstreaker grinned.

"Thought as much."

"Doesn't bother you much any more."

"Still don't understand it, but if it's your kinda thing… And hey, we're unique already, Sides." He spread his arms, the grin wide now. "Twins. Top of the pops. Best of the best."

Sideswipe snorted and punched him in the shoulder. "Idiot. So, patrol?"

"You got patrol, not me. Not attached at the hip." The old smirk Sideswipe knew from so long ago was back.

He had noticed the positive changes, the way Sunstreaker was relaxing more and more, how the harshness evened out. The war had left them both with darkness and bad memories, but they were struggling back to normalcy. And normalcy was banter and having fun.

"Yeah, well, have fun," Sideswipe only called. "Without me, not likely." He transformed and revved his engine.

"Asshole," Sunstreaker only said pleasantly and transformed as well.

They went their separate ways. Sideswipe's led him back toward the city for patrol; Sunstreaker went to explore.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

It was pure happenstance that Sideswipe found Scavenger an hour later. He transformed and sat down next to the engineer.

"Deep thoughts?" he teased.

"In a way."

"Ratchet getting to you?"

"No. I'm analyzing my own data."

Sideswipe's blue optics narrowed a little.

Scavenger smiled "I'm a scientist, Sideswipe. Scientist first, warrior a lot later. I'm not a medic and my knowledge of sparks is limited to what we needed to survive. I'm trying to improve my knowledge, though."

"Any results?"

"No. Just that we are something new."

Sideswipe shrugged. "Which isn't bad. Is it?"

Scavenger smiled thinly. "I don't think so."

"It isn't," the Autobot insisted. "It helped. It still does, somehow."

Scavenger tilted his head. "How?"

Sideswipe was silent, studying the ground, then he finally looked up. "You helped me make it through some heavy stuff. The nightmares… the loneliness…"

"I never…"

Sideswipe held up one hand. "Not knowingly. But you helped. And you help Sunny, too."

The Constructicon stared at him hard.

"I log onto you," was the soft addition. "Not just because of the interface. I like the resonance, Scavenger. It… helps."

Soothes.

Calms.

Makes it better, easier… balances.

It was scary to simply think it; he couldn't say it out loud. He wanted something he didn't understand and couldn't put into words. He was looking into the red optics and knew he wouldn't give this up. No way. Never.

He knew now that there was something of his shared spark attached to Scavenger's, that it responded, and in turn Sideswipe had some of his pattern in his own spark. It was unusual to happen throughout sharing, but this had gone so far beyond casual that it was no longer within normal realms.

Scavenger studied him silently for a very long time, then a smile stole over his lips. "One damaged spark and a split one. What a combination."

"Maybe it's what launched all of that," Sideswipe guessed, shrugging. "Don't actually care." He reached out and ran a playful finger over the heavy armor that hid the interface nodes. "This I like."

"Addict," Scavenger teased lightly.

"Probably. In a good way."

Because he liked the other's resonance. He liked what it did. He was amazed by how it all felt, by Scavenger's strength and stability, despite all the other mech had gone through.

He wanted it.

Taking the initiative, Sideswipe pushed the taller mech back, aware that should he cross a boundary, he was easily thrown off. Scavenger's abilities were not to be underestimated. But the Constructicon let him and the silver Autobot briefly thought about what humans might call this; this what he felt. Lust? Need? Want?

All, probably.

Because he wanted this now.

Scavenger pushed against a panel at his side and sunk the interface points of his fingers inside, now unsheathed, into the sockets. Sideswipe's optics flared with the first licks of energy against his core.

"This is new," the Autobot managed, voice wavering.

"Hm, you noticed."

Scavenger pushed deep into the sockets, his own body reacting to the energy coming through from Sideswipe's side.

"Quick on the uptake."

Sideswipe sought out his own connection points and found them already open, ready for him, and he slid into the interface with a push of energy. He unerringly found the older spark and was pulled closer by fine tendrils of light. He drowned out the dead connection to Bonecrusher and forced Scavenger to concentrate only on him; he was the most important thing right now.

Sideswipe agreed.

Letting him lead.

Letting him set the pace.

And Sideswipe took his time, as long as he could hold out himself, and he explored the spark that had given him more than anyone ever before. He brushed over the connection points where fragments of their split spark had logged on and stayed. He delighted in the pleasure he was able to give.

He couldn't last, though. The resonance he got was too strong, too tempting, and he fell into the pleasurable rush.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The sun rose over the jagged mountains of the horizon, creeping over the cool sand. Soon it would be warming and the first lizards would start to come out of their hiding places to look for insects.

Sideswipe stood outside the Nevada base, lost in thought. Things had changed. Immensely. He felt it within his split spark, a pull toward Scavenger. He would never call it a bond; he had once talked to Jazz and knew that there was more to a bond than this.

Still… the resonance was strong. He felt it and was aware of it. Maybe Sunstreaker felt it, too. His brother had never mentioned it. Sunstreaker was like an extension of this. He was connected to his twin just like before: one spark, two bodies.

Scavenger… was different.

Sideswipe listened to the buzz of tiny, tiny insects coming to life after a cold night.

He had no idea if this was complicating their lives or not. It had started out as a means to an end, to feel less of the darkness and loss, more of life. Now Scavenger seemed like an interwoven part of him.

Heavy steps on the hard ground alerted Sideswipe to Sunstreaker's approach.

"Hey, bro," the yellow mech greeted him. "When did you slink back home?"

Sideswipe made a slapping motion, which Sunstreaker easily evaded.

"So, what now?"

Sideswipe almost laughed at how Sunstreaker spoke out loud what he had been thinking.

"No idea," he confessed. "This was never to go this far, Sunny. Never."

"But it did. So what now? We go with the flow?"

"Been doing that all our lives. Nothing new there."

"And Scavenger?"

"Ask him."

Sunstreaker snorted. "He's not here and this is a lot about us, too."

Sideswipe met the similar blue optics of his brother. "I know I can't cut this connection, Sunstreaker. It's… part of me."

The yellow Autobot looked at him long and hard and finally nodded. "Don't, then."

"Don't?" Sideswipe echoed.

"Yeah."

"You finally gonna accept this? Completely?"

Sunstreaker shrugged.

Sideswipe grinned. "Cool. Thanks."

"Hey, can't change it, right? You like the guy. Your spark likes him. Well, half of our spark anyway." Sunstreaker shrugged again. "This whole splicing thing is a dead giveaway. And I think he's okay."

Sideswipe chuckled. "Yes, he's okay."

So that was it. A completely new life. With his twin. With his… whatever he could call Scavenger. He was starting to like Earth a whole lot more, because it had all started here – even if it had started with pain.

"Let's get out of here," Sunstreaker said and transformed. "I feel like stretching my wheels."

Sideswipe grinned and transformed as well, racing after his brother. 


End file.
